A clear view of the Manhattan skyline as seen from the water

Activity: “How to use and say numbers in English sentences?”

By: Erin Kuester

Associated Articles

These activities are part of our English Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Activity 1: Rewrite the numbers

Can you rewrite each of these cardinal numbers using words? Here’s an example:

My dog had 11 puppies. → eleven

That television costs $750. →
My address is 1579 River Street. →
One of my brothers is 23 years old. →
My daughter’s class has 34 students in it. →
There are 5,280 feet in one mile. →
That store first opened in 1993. →
Note: Do not say one thousand eight hundred!
You’ll need to take Route 106 to get to that city. →
Note: Do not say one hundred and six!
137 + 293 = 430 →
Notes:
- When doing math, we usually do not include “and” but it is allowed.
- You can say equals instead of is, but is is more common. In British English the plural verbs equal / are are common as well.
My family has lived here since 1800. →
Note: Do not say one thousand eight hundred!

Activity 2: Tell us about…

We use cardinal numbers in many ways, including counting, talking about money, measuring things, describing percentages, and writing dates. Can you answer each of the questions below using cardinal numbers? Write complete sentences and try to write some of your numbers in words and some with numerals!

A photo of three cups of coffee taken from above. Three different hands are holding the cups and they meet in the middle. Two coffees are cappuccinos with designs in the cream and one is an iced black coffee.

A photo of a vegetarian pizza on a sheet of parchment paper. A hand is reaching down to pick up one slice.

A mint green VW Bus on a beach in front of the blue water.

How much does a cup of coffee usually cost? →
Sample answer: A cup of coffee costs $3.50 / three dollars and fifty cents / three fifty at my favorite cafe.
On what day were you born? (include the year!) →
Sample answer: I was born on June 10, 1989 / June 10th, 1989 / June tenth, nineteen eighty-nine.
Note: Do not say June ten and do not say one thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine
How tall are you? (if you can, use feet and inches!) →
Sample answer: I am 5’6” (five six) / 5 feet 6 inches (five feet six inches) / 5 foot 6 (five foot six).
What percentage of a pizza do you usually eat? →
Sample answer: I don’t like pizza very much, so I only eat about 10% / ten percent of a pizza.
How many pages are in the longest book you’ve read? →
Sample answer: The longest book I’ve read was 800 / eight hundred pages!
How old were you when you got your first job? →
Sample answer: I was 16 / sixteen years old when I got my first job. I worked at McDonald’s!
How much does your dream car cost? →
Sample answer: My dream car is a Volkswagen van, and the cheapest one costs $40,000 / forty thousand dollars.
What is the date of your favorite holiday? →
Sample answer: October 31 / October 31st / October thirty-first is when we celebrate Halloween, which is my favorite holiday.
Note: Do not say October thirty-one
What year did you meet your best friend? →
Sample answer: I met my best friend in 2001 / two thousand and one / two thousand one.
How many spoonfuls of sugar do you like in your tea? →
Sample answer: I like 2 teaspoons / 2 tsp / two teaspoons of sugar in my tea.

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